Christian Hansen : Chr. Hansen reports solid organic growth of 9% in the first nine months of 2017/18

"Innovation has always been the backbone to our business. This investment is fully aligned with our ambitions to continue to deliver unique products to the market. Today, we have the largest color portfolio in the industry and that stems from our innovation capabilities. We are constantly evaluating new sources of raw materials and innovative formulation technology to address an evolving market," explains Jacob Vishof Paulsen, interim executive vice president for Natural Colors.

This latest expansion follows a recent announcement of a major investment in Milwaukee to create a new Natural Colors site in the US, including expanded laboratory and production capabilities.

"In line with our Nature's no. 1 strategy, our continued investments into our innovation capabilities show our dedication to scientific excellence. We want to stay the undisputed leader in pioneering solutions within natural colors and coloring foods," adds Jacob.

Working side by side with our customers
Chr. Hansen Natural Colors partners with some of the greatest food brands in the world.

"The Global Expertise Center in Montpellier welcomes customers from around the world on a constant basis. At our facilities we work in partnership with our customers as we share our pigment and application expertise to find the solutions that meet the unique needs of their brands," explains Luc Ganivet, vice president, Innovation.

"Our team in Montpellier has grown significantly over the years. Today we have 40 employees and we will continue to grow in number as we accelerate our innovation strategy to respond to the increasing market demand. Now we will develop a more modern facility that will further improve our ability to work closely with customers and advance our R&D efforts, and create space for our growing team," explains Luc.

Where innovation happens
Chr. Hansen Natural Colors purchased the site in Montpellier 18 years ago. Since then, the site has grown to become our main R&D center for natural colors & coloring foodstuffs.

The expansion and upgrade of the facilities will start as soon as September 2018, with the full new building and site upgrade finalized by November 2019.

The building capacity will house additional employees on site and the laboratory space will be more than double what it is today. The new building will include a modern show room for welcoming customers - both for training or development work in the laboratories.

"The project to expand will take place in phases to ensure that our daily work is not affected. We will continue to deliver our usual pipeline of activities during the renovations from Montpellier," adds Luc.

About Chr. Hansen Natural Colors
Chr. Hansen is the world leader in natural colors. We apply our deep knowledge and insights about pigments, applications, and regulatory requirements around the globe to help our customers - and consumers - bring safe and appetizing food to the table. Sourced from nature, our color portfolio is the largest and most vibrant in the food industry, and our active role in the industry spans 140 years. We are part of Chr. Hansen Holding, who develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Chr. Hansen employs over 3,000 people in 30 countries and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen.

Chr. Hansen is a leading, global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. We develop and produce cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors for a rich variety of foods, confectionery, beverages, dietary supplements and even animal feed and plant protection. Our product innovation is based on more than 30,000 microbial strains - we like to refer to them as 'good bacteria'. Our solutions enable food manufacturers to produce more with less - while also reducing the use of chemicals and other synthetic additives - which make our products highly relevant in today's world. We have been delivering value to our partners - and, ultimately, end consumers worldwide - for over 140 years. We are proud that more than one billion people consume products containing our natural ingredients every day. Revenue in the 2016/17 financial year was EUR 1,063 million. Chr. Hansen was founded in 1874 and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen.